Wood cars

I have seen a few automobiles (full size) made of wood on a metal chassis. Some of these are absolute works of art. I was wondering if there is a website for those who build cars from wood. There is still one car maker who builds cars from wood with a sheet metal overlay. (Morgan). It would seem that there would be a lot of interest from woodworkers who also dabble with cars. Would DOT have anything to say about it.

10 replies so far

After the coming solar magnetospheric dymonic pulse which will render all electronics dead for an indefinite period, I predict a trend back to low-tech for cars. For example, this half-wood car could be the future. And look how happy they are.

I do not think DOT would enter into it unless you were going to manufacture them. Your state would definitely have some rules and regulations that you would have to meet if you were going to drive it onpublic streets/roads. I do know that the police and highway patrol used to regard some of our creationswith a slightly critical viewpoint and citations.

The structural integrity of a wooden car is feasible – but of course car makers and their lobbyists wouldn’t allow it – imagine the average person doing wood damage repairs to their vehicle, keeping it cosmetically looking great for decades (bye bye rust bubbles).

As long as it confirms to all safty rules such as lights turn signals etc, the body doesn;t matter. A lot of rail buggies doesn’t have a body but street legal. I went to a cruise in back in Oct. saw a 34 Ford sedan didn’t know it was 1/2 in plywood till i got very close to it. Thinking about building one ?

During the transition from horse cars to automobile, you could buy an automobile frame and go to the body maker of your choice.They typically were using wood.With self supporting bodies there is no frame anymore.see

-- Sylvain, Brussels, Belgium, Europe - The more I learn, the more there is to learn

Speaking of this brought back memories of seeing an (I think) early 50’s Chevy truck at the Harrisburg,Pa farmshow building in the late 60’s, that the entire body was formed out of laminated wood and shaped to look like the factory cab. Wonder what ever happened to it?

I have been giving it some thought to try my hand at building a wood car, but it might be a bit over my skill level. My first car was a 1952 MGTD roadster. It had a wood frame body covered with sheet metal. The floor boards were wood and when I ran over a deep water puddle, water would come streaming up into the cockpit. A friend of mine had a 318 BMW with a wood body that he was restoring. I think if I were younger, I would attempt a build. Wood is such a versatile material, it is the perfect choice for a woodworkers project.